I Was Sad But Now I Am Gay”: Examining an English-Medium Thai Newspaper Narratives on LGBT Issues

This study aims to investigate the representation of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and

Transgender (LGBT) individuals in Thai online newspaper articles. One hundred

and seventy-three articles from the Bangkok Post, the major English-medium news-

paper in Thailand, were collected from 2011 to 2022. The data were organized into

three time periods: the first period from 2011 to 2014, the second period from 2015

to 2018, and the third period from 2019 to 2022. After this, two main approaches

to data analysis have been adopted: thematic analysis and sentiment analysis. The

results revealed a transforming journey of LGBT representation in Thai newspaper

articles. ‘Rights and Equality’ is the major topic discussed in LGBT-related articles

in all three periods. Fortunately, the sentiment analysis of the first-person pronoun

‘I’ informed a positive shift in LGBT situations in Thailand. Even though the status

of LGBTs is not completely recognized in the Thai legal system, the findings from

this study show a positive development of respect and acceptance of the public for

LGBT members.